Chris Christie hits the campaign trail

Chris Christie will make his much-anticipated debut in the New Jersey governor's race today, formally kicking off his campaign with a four-stop swing through the state.

Christie, the Republican former U.S. Attorney, begins the rollout with a speech at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, then will hop in a bus headed south to mingle at a Hamilton diner. A visit to Haddon Heights and another diner stop in Westville round out the schedule for the first of two days of campaigning.

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerFormer US Attorney Chris Christie announced that he is running for Governor at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

"I think you're going to hear somebody who has a hopeful and optimistic view of what New Jersey's future can be, and is going to talk about the really difficult, hard steps you need to take to get there," Christie said during the weekend. "We'll start to lay out the framework."

Christie, the favorite of the state's Republican establishment, has been skewered in recent weeks by his opponents for refusing to speak in detail about his policy positions prior to today's kickoff. One primary candidate, Steve Lonegan, said Christie's campaign rhetoric amounted to "vapid doubletalk."

Christie deflected that criticism and said he would provide details today "and then every day after that I'll be a candidate, and I'll be available to answer questions and engage in conversation."

"I don't think anybody who's watched me over the last seven years wonders whether or not I answer questions or whether I'll be direct with people," he said in an interview Saturday morning. "I'm not a wallflower."

But the buildup to Christie's kickoff has grown steadily, not only since last month's announcement he was getting in the race but also over the last few years he spent as the state's top federal lawman. Supporters say he has the strength and name recognition to take on the wealthy Corzine; detractors say he hasn't proven his ability in areas other than corruption.

"I'm not worried about expectations," Christie said. "I am who I am -- that's the way I'm going to present myself to the voters."

Christie's campaign this morning released some excerpts from the test of his planned speech:

On leadership and experience

"Today, our problems are not Republican or Democratic problems, so our solutions must rise above partisan politics as well. I have the experience, I have the determination, and I have the will to make the tough decisions necessary to put our State back on the right track."

On changing Trenton

"It is time for New Jersey to wipe the slate clean. Change will not come easy, but the same players arguing over the same policies will not make the dramatic difference we need to get our state back on track. Over the course of this campaign, I will propose a four year plan to fix our state and bring fairness and opportunity back. This plan contains tough, thoughtful solutions, not the type of quick fix gimmicks that Trenton has become known for."

On government spending

"Our government taxes too much. Our government borrows too much. Our government spends too much. Worse yet, we have a government that refuses to be accountable for how they spend our money and why they waste it."